


Try Again in a Few Days

by b0rbz



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Established Relationship, Fluff, Incest, M/M, Not Beta Read, POV Changes, Post DMC 5, Swearing, Though it's slight, Uncle/Nephew Incest, because nothings explicit, but it's marked and obvious, but to be safe it's M, i'm sorry lol, not sure if this should be marked T, this is so dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27750592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b0rbz/pseuds/b0rbz
Summary: After a mission, Dante comes home looking rather odd and Nero can't handle it.
Relationships: Dante/Nero (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 68





	Try Again in a Few Days

**Author's Note:**

> This is really dumb, but I still took the time to write it. Please be wary of mistakes. I tried to go through and make sure there were no errors, but some might have slipped through. 
> 
> This is also my first DMC piece, so please be gentle.

“I’m tellin’ ya Nero, this is my best one yet! You ain’t gonna be disappointed,” Nico bubbled and gestured enthusiastically to the Devil Breaker Nero was inspecting with a critical eye. He furrowed his brows, confusion written plainly across his face as he turned the Breaker around to better gauge what exactly he was supposed to be looking at. Nico’s creations were always...unique, if he were to put it nicely. Her classic designs were tried and true, but her creative mind ran rampant, especially when Nero supplied her with the remaining parts from demons they had previously never encountered. Nero rejected the majority of Nico’s designs, but he felt a sense of obligation to, at the very least, test them out. He just hoped this one wouldn’t maim him like the last one had. 

“Yeah, I don’t know about this one, Nico,” Nero hesitated as he extended the Breaker toward her position on the other end of the couch. Nico shook her head and rolled her eyes, a smirk playing across her features as she snatched it out of his hand. 

“Oh, c’mon ya wuss. I promise this one won’t hurt’cha,” She assured him as she toyed with the rather gruesome looking metal claws attached to it with her fingertip, but her confidence only made Nero wary. _Like Hell it won’t_ , he thought. 

The distressing memory of their last experiment’s fatal failure caused him to outwardly wince. Mechanical malfunctions were to be expected, especially when it came to Nico’s bizarre creations, but Nero had been expecting the Breaker to either explode or shatter, either outcome leaving him relatively unharmed save for perhaps a few scant cuts and bruises. What he hadn’t anticipated was the damned thing’s internal mechanisms snapping, effectively severing his hand from his wrist. As luck would have it, Dante had been present to oversee the gruesome mishap and rushed to free Nero’s hand from within the wretched device in order to reattach it. Once already had Nero regrown a limb, and he certainly did not intend to do so again. 

“Y’know, for some crazy reason, I don’t believe you,” Nero sighed, though in his mind he had preemptively accepted defeat. Arguing was needless. Nico would pester him incessantly until he ultimately relented, so Nero figured he’d save his breath. “Whatever, fine. Let’s just get this over with,” He grunted and planted his hands on the couch in preparation to heave himself upward, but before he could follow through, he sensed a sudden shift in the atmosphere.

The short hairs on the back of his neck bristled, electric energy surging through his veins as a slight tremor wracked the building. Any instinctual defensiveness Nero would have displayed dissipated merely a moment later as he caught wind of a scent he knew intimately. An intoxicating cocktail of smoldering cedarwood intermingled with cloves and the barest hint of gunpowder wafted through the air, undermined only partially by the sharp crispness of a biting Winter’s breeze. Dante was back, and it seemed Vergil had decided to tag along. 

“Sounds like Dante and yer daddy are back,” Nico nodded toward the office’s front entrance as she set the Devil Breaker she had been tweaking down onto the empty couch cushion between them. Nero shot her a brief glare. He absolutely despised when she referred to Vergil in such a way. Vergil was his father by name only, and although Nero retained lingering resentment toward the man, he much preferred Vergil to be his father rather than the alternative. Nero shuddered at the mere concept. 

“What gave you that idea?” Nero sniped as he stood in preparation to welcome Dante home. The elder Devil Hunter had been absent all of eight hours, but ever since Nero had begrudgingly bitten the bullet and confessed his morally deplorable feelings (which Dante reciprocated), the younger established the tradition of greeting his lover should he be present when Dante returned from a mission, regardless of its scale. 

The moment the double doors opened to reveal the twins, Nero could sense something was off. 

Vergil drew his eye first. The man typically carried himself with unrivaled poise and an air of arrogance, his physical appearance kept meticulously composed and pristine, so seeing his signature slicked back silver hair disheveled, face dirtied with smears of soot was unusual. An angry, blackened cut stood out prominently against the soft pink skin of his lips, his mouth firmly set in a scowl. The glacial irritation flickering in his eyes conveyed to Nero that his father certainly was not thrilled about his current predicament, though Nero could hardly imagine his father returning from a mission happy. The man lived in a constant state of irritation, only intermittently disrupted by smugness usually drawn from him one upping Dante in some stupid competition they were participating in. 

“The hell happened to your face?” Nero snorted, earning a glare from Vergil. 

“Your idiotic uncle failed to inform me of the severity of the Hellbat infestation we were tasked with taking care of,” Vergil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his thin eyebrows drawing together. Yeah, that sounded about right. Dante was indisputably the best Devil Hunter alive, but the man had a tendency to underrepresent the seriousness of jobs, always claiming they were simple and he was perfectly capable of handling them himself. Nero knew not to accept his uncle’s words at face value. 

“Hey, when I said there was a lot, I meant it, jackass,” Dante countered, his obtrusion causing Nero to finally acknowledge him.

Nero bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from outright laughing at the man. Dante definitely looked worse for wear compared to his twin. His silver hair was besmirched with filth sourced from undoubtedly questionable origins, though unlike Vergil’s, it managed to retain some semblance of its original style. Superficial cuts littered his skin, his ruggedly handsome face smeared with smatterings of dried blood and flaking ash. Save for the gash across his nose that was slowly stitching itself back together, Dante otherwise appeared to be mostly unharmed. 

“What about you, old man? Things get a little too hot and heavy out in the field?” Nero teased as he bypassed his scowling father in order to sidle up to his uncle.

“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up funny man,” Dante sneered half-heartedly, gloved hands immediately moving to trail over Nero’s flanks to tug him closer. Nero smirked and slung his arms loosely around his uncle’s broad shoulders, basking in the unnatural but pleasant warmth emanating from the elder Devil Hunter’s body even through multiple layers of clothing. “Miss me?” Dante asked, smiling. 

“As if,” Nero chuckled as Dante canted his head downward to gently bump their foreheads together. Closing his eyes momentarily to better enjoy the contact, Nero then pulled back so he could get a good look at his lover. Piercing blue eyes shone brightly through the shadows cast across his features by his long hair, too sharp canines glinting, peeking out from behind stretched lips. _Handsome_ , Nero thought as he focused on Dante’s mouth. 

_Wait._

_Oh shit._

Nero practically jumped out of his skin as he discovered the source of the unease he had experienced upon their arrival. The fondness in his expression faded, allowing mock-horror to take its place. Instead of seeing prickly hair covering Dante’s chin and cheeks, there was absolutely nothing, only grime-covered, smooth skin. With a heavily furrowed brow, Nero retracted one hand from behind his uncle’s back and used it to roughly grab Dante by the chin in order to turn his face this way and that. Yep, definitely no beard. 

Since Dante’s return from the Underworld, the man had actually managed to maintain an only somewhat untamed beard-- one Nero absolutely loved. Though he outwardly complained, Nero enjoyed Dante’s prickly kisses. The way that facial hair tickled his neck. The way it scraped and left pleasant burns on the inside of his thighs. Without it, Dante looked naked. God, Nero fucking hated it. He looked like-

What the hell even happened to it? It wasn’t like Dante would suddenly decide to shave mid mission.

With a subtle sniff, Nero realized that although Dante’s irresistible scent was foremost prominent, there were traces of something noxious lingering on his skin. The nauseating smell made Nero scrunch his nose up in disgust. Though equally as unpleasant, rotting blood and decaying flesh were smells Nero had grown accustomed to due to how often he himself had been coated in them. This was completely different, but vaguely familiar. Pondering on it further, it suddenly clicked. It was the smell of burnt hair. Ah. So that’s what happened. Dante must have gotten a little too close for comfort to the demons he was fighting and somehow managed to get his beard singed off. Come to think of it, his hair did look a bit shorter and crispier in the front. No wonder his face was dirtier than Vergil’s. 

“Easy, baby,” Dante purred as he pulled his face away from Nero’s harsh grip. On the surface, his playful expression alluded to an obliviousness toward the younger’s obvious discomfort, but Nero recognized the flicker of genuine concern and confusion housed within his uncle’s warm gaze. Though he was doubtful Dante was cognizant of the exact reason Nero had gone from affectionate to reacting so adversely, beneath his casual facade, he at least seemed to understand that something was indeed amiss. Knowing his uncle intimately, he knew Dante would avoid simply asking what was wrong and instead try to lighten the mood. “You know I like it rough, but damn, sugar, save it for the bedroom.”

Ah. There it was. _Crass as ever._

“Gross! Get a room,” Nico complained, voicing her obvious disgust while Vergil sighed deeply. 

Nero cursed under his breath, cheeks reddening in both aggravation and mortification. He loved the man, truly, he did. He was quick-witted and remarkably intelligent. An adept hunter who exploited his enemies believed notions that he was nothing more than a bumbling fool; but sometimes, he really was just that dense.

Nico had heard her fair share of Dante’s crude comments and although she complained, she was used to it; but Vergil? Of course, Vergil was aware of their relationship. That wasn’t to say he was particularly enthusiastic about it, but he kept his harsher comments to himself as long as the unorthodox couple limited their displays of affection in his presence, the pair only ever going as far as sharing sweet kisses. Nero was certain Vergil did not wish to be reminded that his own twin brother and son were actively sleeping together. Nero respected that, but Dante? The man had no boundaries. It was absolutely galling. 

Abandoning his original plan of properly greeting his uncle, preferably with a kiss, Nero grimaced and twisted out of Dante’s grip. Thankfully, Dante allowed him to escape with little resistance despite possessing the capability of forcefully restraining him with little to no difficulty. Nero dusted his shirt off to rid himself of the ash that had transferred onto it and turned back to face the elder, the half-demon’s expression openly disheartened. Nero almost felt bad. _Almost._

“Aw, kid. Don’t I get my welcome home kiss?” Dante beckoned invitingly with a spread of his arms, feet moving a pace forward. Nero frowned and matched the elder’s movements with a backward withdrawal. Dante hesitated, shoulders slumping, unsure if he should pursue his nephew further, emotions worn on his sleeve. 

“I ain’t kissin’ you. You look like Vergil,” Nero knew Dante’s face well enough to differentiate it from his twin’s-- hell, he had spent hours delicately tracing over those charming features with his fingertips after passionate nights wrapped up in each other-- but his lover’s lack of facial hair made their resemblance to one another more prominent. They weren’t exact replicas of each other, but it was uncanny enough, and Nero really didn’t want to get an idea of what it’d be like kissing his own father. 

“Hey! I don’t look a damn thing like that ugly bastard,” Dante huffed and crossed his arms across his chest, weight shifting onto one foot, hips cocked to the side. 

“ _Brother_ ,” Vergil growled, though there was little heat behind it. 

“Ain’t y’all twins?” Nico piped up from her spot on the couch. 

“Hardly identical at this stage in our lives, but yes,” Vergil supplied before either other man could answer. Nero briefly narrowed his gaze, eyes darting between his father and his uncle. Not completely identical, but again, too similar for his liking. 

“Yeah, well, it’s close enough for me,” Nero griped, hands slipping into the front pockets of his jeans. “Try growing some stubble, then maybe I’ll consider kissin’ you again.”

“Baby,” Dante practically whined, posture sagging in defeat as Nero stepped back further. 

“I would prefer if you didn’t harass my son while in my presence,” Vergil sniped as he traversed further into the office, his gaze settling on Nico for a moment in consideration before he shook his head, mostly to himself, and claimed a spot on the edge of Dante’s desk. 

“Uh, this is my office. Get the hell out if you’re uncomfortable,” Dante threw a thumb over his shoulder in a gesture toward the entrance, but Vergil ignored his brother, in turn responding by crossing his arms across his chest like Dante had previously and sniffed. 

“Y’know, Vergil, you can stay,” Nero told his father as he retreated to the sofa, bending over to scoop up the forgotten Devil Breaker resting on the cushions. With a quick once over, he shrugged and shoved his right arm into it. It fit a bit snuggly, nothing a couple adjustments couldn’t fix, but otherwise it felt good. Hopefully this one wouldn’t kill him. Flexing the claws, Nero turned to Nico. “C’mon, let’s go test this baby out.”

“Hell yeah!” Nico whooped and sprung off the couch toward Dante’s desk. Blatantly ignoring Vergil’s personal space, she leaned in close and snatched up the keys that were merely inches away from the man. Nero stifled a snort as Vergil tensed, the action calling forth distant but fond memories of V reacting similarly to Nico’s close proximity. “Chill out, V-man. I don’t bite.”

“My memories beg to differ,” Vergil held his rigid posture until Nico put some distance between them, shoulders relaxing minutely once he felt more comfortable. 

“Yeah, whatever. Yer dumb chicken deserved it,” Nico passively argued and turned away from the man, sparing not a second glance as she made her way toward the foyer. Nero shook his head slightly in amusement before he turned on his heel to follow after her. 

“Whoa, you guys are bailing?” Dante stepped in front of Nero, blocking his exit. “Nero, you can’t be serious. You’re leaving just ‘cause I don’t have my beard? C’mon, don’t leave me alone with Vergil. He’s already pissed at me,” Dante pleaded with clasped hands, his desperation evident. While his assumption as to why Nero was leaving was correct, it wasn’t like the younger would never return. They lived together, after all. Perhaps Nero was behaving a bit childishly, shallowly even, but his discomfort was tangible, and he may have still held a petty grudge from the time Dante had given him flak for ridding himself of his long hair in favor of sheering it short. 

“You’ll be fine,” Nero assured him with a gentle pat to his dirty cheek. Knowing the twins, they would eventually find something ludicrous to argue about, but Nero decided that wasn’t his problem to deal with. “Just don’t try killing each other while I’m gone or I’ll kick both your asses,” He added as he pulled away from a pouting Dante. Cute, but Nero still wouldn’t kiss him. 

“Kid-”

“Have fun!” Nero shot sarcastically over his shoulder as he sidestepped Dante’s outstretched hand. Ignoring his uncle’s call of his name once again, he jogged to the entrance of the office to catch up to Nico, who was already standing out on the sidewalk, an unlit cigarette hanging from her lips. “You bit Griffon?” He asked as the doors sealed shut behind them, actively trying but spectacularly failing in hiding the amusement coloring his voice. Where the hell was he when that happened?

“Lil’ chick-a-dee had personal space issues,” Nico shrugged and lit up her cigarette. 

Nico biting a demon bird? Nero would’ve paid big money to see that. 

\----

“This is your fault,” Dante growled at Vergil the moment he accepted that no, Nero wasn’t pulling some dumb prank on him and had actually left, leaving him alone with his dickhead of an older brother. He didn’t think they looked _that_ much alike. Yes, they were twins, but Vergil just looked like a pompous ass while Dante, who admittedly was a bit rough around the edges, thought himself to be way sexier than his brother. How else would he have locked down someone like Nero? Besides sharing their hereditary white hair and light eyes, the kid, thank fuck, didn’t take after his father in the looks department. 

“As I seem to recall, little brother, I’m not the one who rushed in to fight a fire breathing demon head on,” Vergil, the smug bastard, waved him off and pushed off the desk, feet carrying him over to the now unoccupied couch, infinitely more comfortable with staking his claim on it now that Nico wasn’t sitting on it. 

“Uh, that’s cause you missed it,” Dante scoffed as he flopped onto the cushion farthest from his brother, maintaining as much distance as was physically possible while sharing a single couch. He knew they would both prefer being further away from each other, but Vergil had pissed him off, so he certainly couldn’t pass up further irking his brother by invading his personal space. “By the way, since I killed it, that means I’m up one.”

“And you claim to be better at numbers. We’re even,” Vergil sneered, shifting slightly so he could face the other man. Dante mimicked the motion. 

“Oh fuck you, ‘ _we’re even_ ’,” Dante mocked, mustering up his best imitation of his brother, “I should get consolation points! Nero won’t kiss me ‘cause of this shit,” He huffed and slumped into the backing cushions, arms coming up to cross over his chest. Vergil just couldn’t accept defeat, could he? Even though Dante was absolutely sure he’d killed more demons than his twin, he certainly felt like the loser in this situation. _Fuckin’ dumb ass demons._

“A shame, Dante, really. How will you ever survive,” Vergil retorted flatly with a roll of his eyes. Dante narrowed his eyes but downward cast his gaze toward the floor. “Perhaps a different partner would be less...judgemental. Someone who isn’t my offspring.”

“Yeah, yeah, that ship sailed a long time ago, buddy. Get over it,” Dante snorted and rolled his shoulders, Vergil’s comment more grating than hurtful. He’d heard it all before, and no matter his brother’s abhorrence toward the situation, his feelings meant jack shit. Nothing was going to change between Dante and Nero.

Well. They had already changed, but it wouldn’t be permanent…

Right?

_Fuck_ , he couldn’t wait until his facial hair came back in.

\----

A heaviness settling on his chest paired with a soft whine of his name is what had roused Nero from his slumber on the third morning following Dante’s return. Even without glancing at his phone to gauge the time, he knew it was way too early in the morning to be awoken, especially on a weekend. All he wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep, but the weight on his chest prevented him from following through on that. Inhaling deeply before a rumbling groan resonated from his chest, Nero lazily slid open his eyes only to be met with the source of the pressure on his sternum. 

“Mm, hey babe,” Nero rasped, voice hoarse from sleep, as he took in the bleary image of Dante’s face, his chin resting on Nero’s sternum. 

Dante, who had been pouting rather sadly, perked up immediately and pushed himself up onto his forearms so he was hovering over the younger man. Nero couldn’t prevent himself from giggling, hands coming up to brace on Dante’s shoulders as the man nuzzled his stubbly jaw against the side of his nephew's face.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Nero laughed and gently pushed Dante’s face away. He smiled fondly up at his lover, body relaxing into the mattress beneath. There wasn’t a substantial amount of growth on Dante’s face, but at least he looked like himself again. Save for his shaggy hair, he somewhat resembled how he had looked when they had first met. 

“Can I get that kiss now? Please, baby boy?” Dante asked hopefully. Nero pursed his lips and acted as if he were genuinely considering it. Sensing the older man’s impatience, Nero decided he’d tortured his uncle for long enough. 

“Mm, fine. But only ‘cause you asked so nicely,” Nero smirked as he slipped his arms around Dante’s shoulders. If Dante had a tail, Nero was sure it’d be wagging right now. _What a dork_. “C’mere.”

Waiting not another moment, Dante surged downward to lock their lips together. The moment their lips touched, electricity shot through him. Nero couldn’t help but moan into the kiss, arms tightening around Dante’s shoulders, fingers trailing into his silver hair.

How he’d held out for so long, he wasn’t quite sure himself. What he did know though was that after denying them this contact for so long, a single kiss would hardly be able to sate him. He’d need plenty more, and he had an inkling that Dante would be more than happy to oblige him.

**Author's Note:**

> I know in game Dante and Vergil have different face models and they're not identical twins anymore, but I still thought they'd at least resemble each other enough with minor adjustments. 
> 
> The whole idea from this came from me watching a video of a cat freaking out because its dog friend got groomed and it didn't recognize the dog.
> 
> Yes I'm that dumb.
> 
> This is also my first time writing in over a year, so admittedly it's not great, but I'll definitely try to do better!
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed reading!


End file.
